


Mastermind Seiko Kimura

by Scarlette AJ Miller (scarletteajmiller)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Canon LGBTQ Character, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Death, Despair Era (Dangan Ronpa), Despair Tsumiki Mikan, F/F, F/M, Future Foundation (Dangan Ronpa), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kimura Seiko - Freeform, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, Mastermind Seiko Kimura, Mental Health Issues, Near Death Experiences, Psychological Trauma, Remnants of Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Seiko Kimura - Freeform, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletteajmiller/pseuds/Scarlette%20AJ%20Miller
Summary: After being expelled from Hope's Peak Academy due to an insane mix-up, Seiko Kimura is left with nothing. No one to turn to, nothing to look forward to and absolutely nowhere to go.  That is, until she bumps into Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba, whom have a place Seiko can stay. They tell them about everything that's happened to them and how t hey ended up in tehir position. She quickly grows to trust them, so Junko offers her plan - the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history - to get back at everyone who mistreated Seiko. She was entirely against it until she spoke with Mikan Tsumiki, whom she had a giant crush on, and she was able to convince her to go along with the plan, solely because she manipulated her. So Seiko takes to creating the poison in the bangles and being a spy for Junko and Mukuro from the inside of the Future Foundation. But will their plan really succeed?
Relationships: Andoh Ruruka/Izayoi Sohnosuke, Kimura Seiko/Tsumiki Mikan, Munakata Kyosuke/Yukizome Chisa
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6





	1. Nowhere To Go

Seiko's POV

‘What the hell am I supposed to do now?’

I sat on a bench outside of Hope’s Peak with all I had left; my bag with my most important pills and chemicals. The same bag that was switched out for a detonator… This entire situation occurred because I just wanted to help: Ruruka, Sonosuke, Komaeda. I couldn’t even do that much. I should have just shut the hell up and gotten each of them their own drug myself.

I was minding my own business, it was just a normal day... 

‘That sounds familiar…’

I was working on my presentation for the upcoming test, starting with just a few trial-and-errors to see which method worked better. Komaeda bursted in the room and practically appeared next to me. He scared the shit out of me and messed up my slight progress. He told me TeruTeru, who happened to be in his class, ‘referred’ him to me to help him with a problem prior to appearing.

He basically just needed strong laxatives, so I told him exactly where they were: “Very back of the storage room. Top shelf, far right.” I explained the best I could at the time considering Ruruka and Sonosuke were yelling at me through the door. The door was unlocked. They only wanted to use me again anyway…

There was no hesitation, there never was. They sat themselves down and Ruruka started explaining why she needed to use my project to enhance hers. She wouldn’t have ever gotten into Hope’s Peak if it wasn’t for me… I mean, I’m the one who made her sweets so good. If it wasn’t for my performance enhancers, she would be a Reserve Course Student.

Even in that moment she tried to get me to eat her sweets… Of course I agreed to let her take my reanimator - the project I was working on for my own performance - once she did that… How could I not? After she accused me of being a bad friend because of it - yet again - Komaeda was just coming out of the storage closet. I guess Sonosuke took seeing someone else in my lab unannounced as a threat. I couldn’t completely blame him, though. No one aside from them ever really came to ‘visit’ me.

All while Sonosuke had a knife pressed against Komaeda’s neck, he didn’t seem phased in the slightest. It was slightly unsettling, but I had bigger problems to worry about. I had to stay up all night making a brand new project and I had no ideas...

I’m not blaming them for what happened, I just knew I should have done something… I could have explained what the bottles looked like better or checked to make sure they both grabbed the right ones. What good will beating myself up over it do now? I’m homeless…

And to think, the last time I had somewhere to sleep I barely did. I came home less than an hour before I had to get up and passed out uncomfortably because I spent the whole night making a new performance worthy drug. I slept through my alarm anyway and that’s why I bumped into Komaeda on my way to the gymnasium.

I just wanted to support Ruruka and be there for her… At the time, the fact that she made me late and was using me without remorse didn’t bother me at all.

I just wanted to be there for her…

I just wanted a friend…

Why didn’t she ever want to be my friend?

What didn’t I do right?

Komaeda even lied to me. I asked him how my reactivator worked for him and he said it worked great. Even he lied to me… I didn’t even know him! There was no reason for that! After he lied, I finally made it to the gym. Ruruka was on stage presenting her project already. Sonosuke was sitting at the side of the stage, saving a seat for me. There were people all over and a group of people with a camera broadcasting everything live, I assumed it was the local news station.

Before sitting down and trying not to make a scene, the judges who ate Ruruka’s sweets, enhanced with what I thought was my reanimator, started choking and groaning. They nearly collapsed on the ground! I’ll never forget the threatening look Sonosuke gave to me right before we both ran up to Ruruka, trying to comfort her and figure out what happened.

Without even thinking, I plainly told her she took the laxatives. After seeing the reactions the judges had, there was no doubting it. They were angry and confused with her when they heard that, but both Sonosuke and Ruruka instantly blamed me. Ruruka stared at me with a blank expression, but her eyes read nothing but pure hatred. Nothing more. Sonosuke brought out a fist full of knives and threatened to kill me in front of everybody for ‘what I did’.

‘Wow… That sounds familiar, too.’

I tried to fix the situation by getting a different drug from my bag and giving it to the judges to reverse the effects of the laxatives. I even thought about negotiating with the school to give Ruruka another chance. At the time I knew for a fact I had nothing to do with the outcome of the situation, but I still felt it was my responsibility to fix it. Though when I opened my bag, I was hit with the dreadful realization that Komaeda and I had switched bags and his bag held a detonator… 

The entire room erupted into terrified gasps and chattering. I remembered feeling like I would die on the spot. I felt all the color drain from my face and my legs felt wobbly. Despite that, I tried to calm the situation once everyone knew I was in possession of a detonator. I tried to explain what happened with mine and Komaeda’s bags and I even backed away from the bomb. 

It didn’t matter. No one listened and Ruruka started calling me names and accusing me of setting this all up on purpose just to sabotage her. She said such vile things about me in front of everybody, the whole world, as if my situation wasn’t bad enough. I never even did anything to make her think that about me. It was so unfair… 

She had me so angry I actually took my mask off to scream back at her a little better. I wanted her to hear every word I had to say to her and I couldn’t let everyone think I was some horrible, selfish monster. I couldn’t just let her keep using me like her servant… I know she didn’t hear or retain anything I was saying. Partly because she had her head too far up her ass, partly because there was a dog bigger than the entire school that just bursted through the gymnasium wall.

When I say the dog was bigger than the school, I’m not kidding. And yes, it did happen that suddenly. The only logical explanation would be Komaeda misusing my drugs and creating that. Ruruka and I were both terrified and we tried to back up, but somehow, we both ended up tripping at the same time and setting off the detonator. We were all lucky to have survived the blast. It felt like an action movie. Nobody died.

Of course, that didn’t stop Ruruka, Sonosuke, and I from getting expelled and me getting kicked from my dorm that the school paid full for. Komaeda only ended up getting a suspension for a few months, which is outrageously unfair. Sonosuke had his own shop Ruruka lived with him at, so they weren’t in as bad of a situation as I was, unfortunately...

But now that I replay the situation again and I can think of it a little more clearly, if this situation is anyone’s fault… it’s Komaeda’s. He’s the one who bursted into my lab without any sort of warning, at least Ruruka and Sonosuke let me know they were there before I opened the door, he took the wrong drug on purpose and he switched out our bags! He had a god damn detonator in his bag for Christ’s sake! He should’ve at least marked it or something…

Not to mention, he was able to escape the situation with a little suspension. Mine, Ruruka and Sonosuke’s lives were ruined!

Man, I’m probably just trying to shift the blame onto someone else because I can’t handle admitting it was my fault. If anything, I really should have directed Komaeda to the laxatives and checked my bag once we both fell. They looked so similar, but after that whole thing I should have checked… Now everyone thinks I’m a crazy terrorist and I lost my only friends…

Now that I actually think about it, were they ever really my friends? They always showed appreciation for my favors, though! Right after begging me to agree… But even when I couldn’t eat Ruruka’s sweets, they were both nice enough to stick around just so I had somebody! But I guess they only stuck around because I did them so many favors…

If they were really my friends, they wouldn’t constantly guilt trip me into eating her sweets. I’ve explained it to them so many times, there isn’t anything else I could have done. They never gave up. They guilt tripped me my whole life because of a deathly allergy I have no control of! I felt so horrible for it that I let them treat me like their servant! I might not have the best grasp on the idea of friendship, but I at least know it’s not that.

Maybe I should have just taken them both with me to get an actual allergy test… They might have listened then…

I did everything for them. Everything. I even risked getting kicked out of Hope’s Peak on my own and making a complete fool of myself just to ensure Ruruka would pass with flying colors! And for what?! For this! This is bullshit! Utter fucking bullshit!

And for both of them to humiliate me in front of the world and make me out to be some evil mastermind with the plan to ruin Ruruka’s life. Ruruka called me a terrible person and Sonosuke threatened to kill me! I’m not that bad. I know I’m not. TeruTeru and Komaeda could tell anyone the same thing; I’ve only ever had good intentions. I’m not a terrible person!

But what good is my word against everyone else’s? All the world ‘knows’ what an evil person I am. I ruined my best friends’ lives, hurt a bunch of innocent judges at Hope’s Peak Academy in the process and blew up the entire gymnasium with a detonator…. They would take Ruruka and Sonosuke’s word over anyone else’s, mine included. I never had the chance to make a good name for myself, let alone a name.

I’m nothing, but a potential terrorist to the whole world…

God, I’ve only been thinking about how upset this is going to make me now that I’ve gotten kicked out of my dorm and have nowhere to stay and lost the only two people I ever had in my life, I won’t be allowed anywhere! I wouldn’t be surprised if I got arrested. I nearly blew up an entire school and killed people! No one will trust me ever again!

There’s probably warnings out everywhere across the globe for me by now! They’ll all depict me as a crazed monster. That’s what I am now…

This whole thing truly is all my fault…

I could have just directed Komaeda and Ruruka to their specific chemicals. I could have cut contact with Ruruka and Sonosuke instead of just letting them treat me like garbage. I could have made a backup project in case Ruruka did end up using one of mine for her project. I could have gotten more sleep last night. I could have just said no to Ruruka. I could have checked my bag after I bumped into Komaeda.

Even if all of that was unavoidable, the reason that dog was so big and the judges had such horrible reactions to Ruruka’s sweets was because of my drugs…  
I should have just given up on all of this when I failed to save that poor puppy when I was younger… I should have known I couldn’t save anybody. I couldn’t help anybody. I couldn’t do anything right.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek and plop onto my skirt, causing it to turn a darker shade of brown. I sighed, wiping my eyes angrily. I didn’t know if I was sad or angry - probably both - but regardless, I can’t let anybody see me crying. Especially after what had just happened. I have no right to be upset over a horrible event I caused…

The sun was setting and the sky was turning a light, but brighter, yellow and orange color. I could see the sun off in the distance and the slight breeze blowing through the trees and shaking the leaves picked up a bit. I wondered how the sun could continue to shine being all alone in the sky all day… I wondered if I would be able to do that, too. I didn’t really have a choice now.

‘I wish I could ask the sun for guidance. Or advice…’

After thinking that, I bursted out into tears. I couldn’t hold it back anymore, I was overflowing with emotions and I didn’t know what else to do. I had nowhere to go, no one to talk to, no one to turn to, nothing to look forward to. I had nothing. I had nothing to do. Nobody wanted anything to do with me…

I took my mask off, as it was falling down my face as I sobbed anyway, but I was sure to cover most of my face with my hands. I was almost certain mostly everyone had already left the school by then. Even if they hadn’t, everyone already thinks the worst about me, what more could me crying do?

I only stopped sobbing when I felt my bag slip off of my lap a bit. I grabbed it and sighed. I wiped my tears off my face, sniffling while I put my mask back on. Tears continued to fall from my eyes all the while I put my bag around my shoulder and stood up from the bench I was sitting at for hours. I had no idea where I was going, but I had to at least find somewhere to keep myself warm for the night…

I began walking away from the school, straight toward the sun. It obviously wasn’t planned, but I guess it made me a little hopeful I was walking into a bright light away from the school. I’m not spiritual or anything, but it’s still a nice feeling… I wanted to wipe away more tears, but I realized my gloves were soaked in tears as well so it wouldn’t do anything, just as I heard a familiar voice call my name from behind me.

It didn’t sound angry or threatening and it made me feel a strange mix of exhilaration and dread. No one had tried to speak to me in a polite tone since this morning, but why would anyone want to speak to me after today? Why can’t everybody just leave me alone?

“Kimura!,” they called out again, louder this time.

I turned around, bracing myself for whatever the hell this could be about. I looked a mess, I assumed, so the outcome would be changed based on the fact I was crying. It was Komaeda. Of course it was. I mean, it could have been worse. It could have been Yukizome or Ruruka. He didn’t look like he wanted to cause any harm, he was actually smiling, but that’s how he approached me when he fucked everything up…

“Ah, Kimura! Are you all right? Do you have anyw-”

I didn’t want to hear anything more he had to say, I just wanted to escape the entire school ground and never look back. Who knows what he could want anyway. He seemed innocent enough when he was asking for my help with what I thought was a simple task, now he’s gotten me kicked out of school completely. It was obvious there was nothing good coming from him.

I turned back around, darting off in the opposite direction of Hope’s Peak, hoping to never see it again, as I cried even more. I didn’t care as much as before since no one would catch or question me. I would probably be staying under a bridge for a while until I figured something out, crying is the least of my concerns.

I had been running for a while with my head down and I had no idea where I even was. I bumped into someone for the second time that day. I prepared to either be screamed at or pushed on the ground when they grabbed me by my shoulders, making sure I didn’t knock either of us over. I didn’t want to see who I was looking at - who else I made a fool out of myself in front of - so I closed my eyes, kept my head down and trembled in fear.

“What the hell are you doing? Can you not see or something?,” a voice I didn’t recognize in the slightest scolded me.

“I… I’m sorry… I d… didn’t mean to…,” I stuttered, struggling to catch my breath while I shook my head back forth, ashamed.

“Hold on a second,” the voice spoke once again. They grabbed me by the chin, lifting my face up to look at them as I whimpered. I opened my eyes and looked them in the face. I still didn’t recognize them and that only made me even more nervous…

They had thick strawberry blonde hair in high pigtails, pale blue eyes, sort of like Ruruka’s, long and full eyelashes and a smile on their face. There was another person standing close behind them. They had short black hair, faint freckles across their face, their eye color more grey than blue and they seemed a lot more serious than the person holding my face. Not to mention, the person standing behind them was armed with some kind of weapon...

“You’re Seiko Kimura, aren’t you?,” they asked, almost excitedly.

‘How the fuck did they know my name? Did word actually spread that fast?’

I was too nervous to speak any words, so I muttered a slight “Mhm…” under my breath and nodded my head.

The person’s face expression became a lot happier as they let go of my face and wrapped their arms around me tightly. It seemed like their voice completely changed the next time they spoke, “Eeeee~ That’s great!! You’re just incredible, you know that?!” They let go of me as I stood still in shock. “What’s the matter? You’re crying AND you’re out all by yourself so late?!”

“I… I…” I searched for the right words to say, feeling the other person’s eyes beating down on me from behind the strawberry blonde’s head. “T… They… I was expelled… I don’t have anywhere to go…”

“WHAT?! What on Earth could they possibly kick you out for?!,” their expression and voice sounded a lot angrier and shocked. 

“I… It’s a long story…,” I whispered, wiping some tears from my face with my sleeve.

“Well, hey! I guess today’s your lucky day!,” they shouted, grabbing my hands and holding them. “I’ve got a place you could stay and tell me everything! I actually have quite a bit of spare time on my hands today.”

‘They… They had somewhere for me to go? I could actually stay somewhere? I didn’t have to camp out under a bridge?!’

“R… Really?! You would… You… Wait, I don’t even know who you are and… how do you know my name?,” I trailed off a bit at the end, realizing the potential dangers of the new pressing situation on my hands. None of this made any sense, but I was extremely desperate…

“Ah, it doesn’t take a genius to know about the Super High School Level Pharmacist, even though I surely am a genius. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard of you.” They seemed very fascinated by my existence, which is a first…

‘Am I really that well known?’

“Anyway, this is my sister, Mukuro Ikusaba,” they pointed to their sister without even looking at her. “She’s a little basic, but not to worry! I make up for all of her flaws! My name is Junko Enoshima, The Ultimate Fashionista! But I suppose you could just call me Junko,” she rolled her eyes at me, but still seemed as happy as could be. She had gone through a whole collection of voices while speaking to me, it was honestly a little scary…

‘Ultimate?,’ I thought. ‘She must be a student at Hope’s Peak then…’

I recognized their names, but I was too exhausted and terrified to remember why exactly. I just wanted to take a nap, at the very least…

“Welp, now that we’ve been respectfully acquainted, guess you’re coming along with us,” she shrugged, grabbing both of my wrists and running back in the direction of Hope’s Peak. I had no time to protest, she just started dragging me with her. I didn’t know where I was going, who these people were or how exactly they knew who I was, but all I could think of was how my medicines could possibly get me out of this mess if it fell apart…

“J… Junko? Where are we going?!,” I called out to her.

“Back to my place, dumbass! I know where I’m going!”

I didn’t say anything more after that...


	2. A Fresh Start

Seiko's POV

“J… Junko, please s... slow down! I’m not that fast!”

“Well, then, you’re pretty lucky today, aren’t you?!,” she shouted back at me happily. She came to an abrupt stop, causing me to stop unexpectedly and fall to the ground in an attempt to not crash into her. “We’re here!,” she announced in an almost proud voice.

“Aren’t you the one who said we should be quiet around here so no one found out about this place?,” Mukuro spoke calmly as I pulled my mask down to catch my breath, careful not to let them see my bare face. It took a moment for me to realize that had been the first time I heard Mukuro’s voice. I unzipped my bag, frantically searching for my inhaler in the pocket. I pulled it from my bag, fixing my mask as I looked up to see where I was.

Hope’s Peak was right in front of me… It wasn’t within reach, of course, but it was closer than it had been mere minutes ago. I raised my eyebrow in confusion, taking a puff of my inhaler and placing it back in my bag, silently hoping they hadn’t seen it.

I don’t trust them, not even a little bit. I didn’t know how they knew who I was so well, let alone who they even were. I may be good at what I do, but there’s no way I could be known so well and so positively. She described me like a famous celebrity she idolized or something… But they told me they had a place for me to stay… Sketchy enough, but now we’re back at Hope’s Peak in front of some random statue?! Plus, Mukuro mentioned them not wanting this place to be found out…

‘What have I gotten myself into this time?’

“Uhm, excuse me? I don’t remember being the one taking orders!,” Junko responded, angrily almost. I looked up at her, trying not to show I was nervous in the slightest. I wanted her to think I might have even been eager to just have a place to stay, but judging by her next actions, I really don’t think I conveyed that message very well…

“Therefore, go check up on her. She’s freaking me out a bit,” she continued, pointing at me on the ground. She turned around to face the statue and I let out a quiet, slight gasp. I felt a little offended by what she said, to be honest. I hadn’t even done anything bad… 

“You all right?,” Mukuro was crouched in front of me with her hand on my upper arm. I turned to look at her quickly. There didn’t seem to be any emotion in her eyes or her voice.   
Growing more and more worried about the entire situation, I muttered a simple, “Mhm…” as I shook my head.

“Your breathing seems to be suffering a bit. Is there something you can do for that?,” she asked, removing her hand from my arm. She was trying to make a small conversation with me which scared me, but I was also relieved.

‘If she’s trying to make small talk, there must be something she’s distracting me from… What if this was all planned?’

I wanted to look over and see exactly what Junko was doing, but I didn’t want to freak them out anymore than I already had. A part of me really didn’t want to know… ‘Maybe it would be better if I wasn’t prepared and waiting for it…,’ I thought.

After not getting a response for a bit, she pointed at my bag, “Was that your inhaler?”

I placed my hand protectively over my bag, “Oh… y… yeah. I’ll be back to normal in a few minutes. D… Don’t worry…”

“Sure?,” she asked. She never broke eye contact with me the entire time…

“Yeah, I… I’m sure…”

“Good,” she replied, flattly, standing back up and looking in front of herself in the direction of Junko.

I took that as my cue to stand up as well, dusting my skirt off while I stood. Just as I lifted my head, a door seemed to open from the ground next to the statue. I jumped, watching as what looked like perfectly carved rocks lowered one at a time to create a staircase.

“Found it!,” Junko called out, cackling slightly after. She had her hand pushed into a brick on the statue and her foot perfectly placed on a button on the ground.  
‘The buttons must have opened the door.’ Obviously.

“Well, Kimura,” she approached me with wild, wide eyes. “Why don’t you go first? You are our guest after all.” She walked behind me, beginning to push me towards the staircase in the ground.

‘W… What no! What’s going on?! Why else would she want me to go first if they didn’t think I’d try to escape?! Why would I want to escape?! I knew this was a shitty idea from the start. I knew this wasn’t right. It was all sketchy. None of it made any sense. What am I thinking?! I can’t do this! I could just go back toward the school and see if Komaeda is still there, he might help! At least I know who he is, I don't even know these people!’

“W… What?! Why?,” I stuttered, attempting to prevent myself from being pushed any further.

“Come on! I’m just being nice. I told you,” she stopped me right in front of the staircase and stood at my side. “You’re our guest. You go first.” She smiled widely. Inhumanely wide. Her smile seemed genuine, but menacing at the same time… Regardless, it only made me more terrified.

“O… Oh… Okay, then,” I looked down the staircase, nearly trembling in fear. I had no other choice. On the way down I would have to think of a way to escape if necessary. “Thanks…”

‘God damn you, Ruruka… This is all your fault…’

Before taking my first step, I vowed that whatever happened to me from that point forward would be completely Ruruka’s fault and none of mine. Whatever happened from that point.

I began walking down the stairs slowly, feeling one of them close behind. I kept my head down the whole time, not wanting to know what was about to happen. I had decided that being prepared would only make everything even worse, but that didn’t stop my mind from wandering.

If there was anyone at the bottom of the stairs, I could try to knock Mukuro and Junko down and just book it back up the steps. Mukuro seemed to be armed with something, but if I just knocked her over unexpectedly, she wouldn’t be able to reach for her weapon. Once I escaped, I could just start screaming and report an attempted kidnapping! Then I might have somewhere to stay if they realized I didn’t have anywhere to go!

I thought about if Ruruka and Sonosuke were at the bottom of the stairs. It would make a little bit of sense if this whole thing was set up by them just to scare and humiliate me even more, they had no problem doing it earlier. In fact, they probably enjoyed it… Maybe this whole thing was planned by all four of them so Sonosuke could kill me without anyone knowing. That would also, unfortunately, make sense.

He’s wanted to murder me in cold blood every time I messed up with Ruruka in the slightest and he made that very clear for the whole world to see today. If they could lure me away from everybody in a place no one is supposed to find out about, he could kill me and it would seem as though nothing had happened. It’s not like anyone would notice my disappearance and miss me anyway… It would take weeks for anyone to even realize they hadn’t heard anything about me…

Once I realized we had been walking for a while, I placed my hand on the zipper of my bag. I had invincibility pills I created in my bag, but they were still in their testing stage. Downing a bottle wouldn’t kill me, so I decided to do so if anything horrible were to happen. It’s better than letting myself be kidnapped or murdered…

“We’re almost there, Kimura!,” Junko shouted, causing me to freeze and shout out in fear in response. I managed to unzip a good bit of my bag in the process, as well. “Damn, you’re pretty jumpy, aren’t you?,” she remarked, annoyed. She quickly stepped in front of me without even shooting me a glance. Seeing her walk past me did calm my nerves a little bit, though.

“S… Sorry…,” I whispered, rubbing my arm in embarrassment, but no one seemed to hear me.

I didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the walk down considering Junko was in front of me now. Though, I kept my hand on my bag.

Suddenly, Junko grabbed my wrist, yet again, and practically began to pull me off the last few steps. “Welcome home!,” she shouted as I looked up. I noticed someone sitting in a chair at the end of the room we were standing in, surrounded by multiple computers. “Well, this part isn’t yours, but follow me!,” she stated with another, more confident voice.

While she dragged me to the closest door, I noticed the person sitting in the chair had turned around when they realized someone else was there. They looked scared, but they also looked familiar. Not enough that I knew exactly who they were, but I recognized them. They looked exhausted and they had shorter light brown hair. It aggravated me that I couldn’t put my finger on who they were exactly…

‘I’ll probably just try to talk to them later and find out.’

Junko took me to a hallway with countless doors on each side. I didn’t know exactly what room she took me into, but she took me into one of them. Inside was a decent sized bed with pure white sheets pressed against the wall, a small table with two chairs in the middle of the room, a giant cupboard and a fridge. The place seemed to be in perfect condition, just a little bare.

‘How the hell did she manage to acquire an entire hotel underground?’

“This is your room!,” she gestured to the room as I looked around. She was visibly more excited than I was. She acted as if it was her first time seeing the room and was purely amazed. Due to the way she acted and how fast her personality, tone of voice and demeanor had changed, I had no idea what to think of her. Just a few seconds ago I was convinced she would kill me and now she reminded me of a small, innocent little kid who was just excited by everything.

Mukuro snuck past me from behind, standing next to the bed and watching Junko as she walked to the fridge. She opened it, pulling out a single soda can and cracking it open. I couldn’t help but notice the fridge was fully stocked… and the horrible feeling in my gut that something wasn’t right had come back.

“Sit down! This is your place now,” she smiled a genuine, normal smile at me, sitting herself in one of the chairs at the table.

“O… Oh…,” I mumbled, perking up and sitting in the other chair across from her, avoiding eye contact. I carefully zipped my bag back up, placing it on the floor next to me. Next thing I know, Mukuro walks over and picks it up. I swung around in my chair, reaching my arm out at her, “H… Hey! Be careful with that! P… Please…”

She stared at me emotionlessly, but I was fully expecting her to be infuriated or upset with me. She seemed to be pretty numb…

“Yeah, yeah. Just put it on her bed,” Junko waved Mukuro off and she followed her orders. My bag was placed nicely on the bed and Mukuro sat next to it. I was slightly worried she would take it, but it looked like she was protecting it more than wanting to steal it.

‘I really don’t know what to think of these two…’

“So, Kimura. I’m ready for the story,” Junko set her soda on the table, staring at me eagerly. I made myself more comfortable in my chair, but made sure I was ready to run away if needed.

“Huh?,” I raised an eyebrow. “What story?”

She rolled her eyes, her slight smile disappearing. My stomach dropped. “You just got expelled from Hope’s Peak Academy! I was told it was a long story and I’m ready for it!,” she demanded.

“Oh. I didn’t think you were serious about that…,” I mumbled. “I… I really don’t think it’s that interesting. I’m already taking up space in your…,” I paused, looking around the room I was sitting in that she labelled as mine, searching for the right word to use. “...place. I don’t want to bother you with my problems, too…”

“You get caught doing something shady?,” she asked almost immediately.

“W… What?! No! What are you talking about?”

“You come into school too late?”

“No! Why are you-”

“Didja get caught makin’ out with somebody?”

“E.. Ew. What the hell are you talking about?”

“Ya hurt someone? Kill someone? Cheat on the final exam?”

“N… No! No! Why are you guessing?! And why those things?”

“Because I wanna know!,” she whined, pouting.

I sighed, looking down at the ground. “Fine then…” I shrugged. “If you wanna know so badly I guess it won’t hurt to talk about it…”

“Oh, this is gonna be sad, I can feel it,” she replied quieter, but she sounded sort of excited to hear me talk about something sad that happened to me…

Nevertheless, I told her everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. I told her about how I met Ruruka and Sonosuke when we were children, I told her about the way they treated me my whole life and why I was too terrified to leave them or stick up for myself, I told her about my allergy and how Ruruka always neglected it, I told her about Komaeda and the… incident.

Just about everything.

After reliving every traumatizing moment along with the first memory I had of Ruruka, tears fell from my eyes, but I didn’t allow myself to cry in front of complete strangers. I had no idea how they would react. That’s why I avoided eye contact with both of them the entire time.

“I… I thought I was cool with the administration, too!,” I sniffled, knowing I was nearing the end of my ‘story’. “Guess not! E… Even if I wasn’t good with them, I thought maybe Yukizome would help me out. Ya know, Komaeda’s teacher. I figured she was nice enough, but nope! They wouldn’t even listen to me, nobody would!,” I paused to sigh and shake my head.

“Wow,” Junko spoke up across from me. “She sounds like a giant bitch. Why wouldn’t she want to help you out?”

“W… Well,” I started, instinctively wanting to defend Yukizome. “S… She’s not really a giant bitch. When we were in the headmaster’s office, Ando, Izayoi, and I, okay- Well…,” I paused again, trying to figure out how to word what I was trying to say. “A lot of people were there, actually… Munakata, Sakakura, Yukizome, Kizakura, and of course Kirigiri, and Ando and Izayoi wouldn’t let me speak-”

“Wait,” she interrupted me by slamming her hand on the table, causing me to dart my head up at her, startled by the loud bang. She looked angry, but excited, if that even makes any sense. “The Jin Kirigiri?!,” she asked as if she had a grudge against him. I assumed it would make sense considering she stated she was The Ultimate Fashionista and why I recognized both her and Mukuro’s names, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I knew a lot of the students and staff after being there for so long and having most of them need my help sometimes, but it’s hard to keep track of them, especially after today. Regardless of why she asked about Kirigiri in the way she did, she had to have been affiliated with Hope’s Peak at some point…   
“Uh, yeah? Why do you ask?,” I raised an eyebrow.

Her face expression went completely blank. It wasn’t intimidating or anything, she just immediately went numb. “No reason. Please finish.”

I didn’t ask. I just shook my head, almost nervous of what would have happened if I didn’t continue. “When I tried to tell them all exactly what I just told you, not only did they not care, Ando kept shouting over me. Then that caused me to shout back… That’s not even the main point. Izayoi threatened me again in front of all of them and she stood in front of me to keep me from him! Now that I think about it, I kinda believe he would have been let off the hook if he didn’t do that, too…”

I shivered a bit, rubbing my hands together as I remembered how it felt to be in that room. In the gymnasium. How it felt to have The Ultimate Blacksmith who’s also my abusive, manipulative ex-best friend’s boyfriend threaten to kill me twice in a day. Despite Yukizome protecting me and having a feeling he wouldn’t be able to try anything with so many people in the room, it was still quite terrifying.

“He ended up pulling one of his knives out again and stood up to walk towards me and Ando just… watched… I ran across the room shaking, of course, and that’s when Yukizome stepped in front of me while the rest of the people in the room confiscated his weapons. After that they expelled all three of us and because of that whole thing, I was escorted by Sakakura for extra protection…”

“That all?,” she asked after waiting a few seconds to make sure she didn’t interrupt me again, I’m assuming.

“Yeah, I guess so…,” I responded under my breath.

“They all sound like assholes to me. Every last one of them!”

“I mean…,” I whispered, actually thinking about what she said. I realized she was right. No one at that school ever stuck up for me and the only reason Yukizome protected me was to ensure the school’s reputation wouldn’t be ruined. If I was murdered by another student in front of the Headmaster and a majority of the staff, that would look horrible to everyone in the school and the outsiders. Plus, Hope’s Peak Academy is very serious about their reputation…

“I guess you’re right…,” I agreed, defeated.

“And Ando never even offered to try and make you any sugar free sweets?! Isn’t she the Super High School Level sweets master thingy?”

I perked up in the chair, looking right back at her. I actually felt safe to talk shit on Ruruka for the first time and Junko understood how I felt without me even having to say anything bad about her. “I… I know right?! She would have never been able to get accepted into Hope’s Peak had it not been for my help! I always enhanced her projects. She always cheated!”

“Exactly! Not to mention the way Izayoi acted towards you for no reason,” she rolled her eyes and looked at her long, sharp red nails. She looked bored with them. “What? Did he only exist to be her guard dog or something?”

“T… That’s what I thought! I don’t even know what he’s really like, he’s always around her… He’s just her property, it’s insane.”

“And why the hell wouldn’t the staff even let you speak?! You’re the Super High School Level Pharmacist! They should have valued you more than anyone else in that shitty school and they wouldn’t even let you speak. I almost wanna beat them senseless myself,” she rested her chin on her hand while she ranted about the unfair way I was treated my entire life. I was speechless. I stared at her in amazement and gratefulness.

‘Someone gets it! Someone is finally sticking up for me! She knows I did nothing wrong! I… I’m not actually the bad guy in this life, everyone else is. No one ever stuck up for me, no one gave a fuck about me. No one! And I never did anything wrong. None of this is my fault…’

“They really messed up, Kimura, I’m telling you. I don’t know how you aren’t filled with rage over this whole thing! They nearly ruined your life! Ya know, if I wasn’t there to help you out your life would be ruined. I guess that’s not really the point… They didn’t even care what happened to get you in that position or where you would end up it’s just…,” she stopped, growling audibly. I wasn’t scared by it, I knew she wasn’t angry at me.

For once, someone wasn’t angry with me.

“Y… You’re absolutely right!,” I told her, my eyes wide.

She looked over at me and sighed sadly. My expression dropped immediately, knowing that my story must have upset her. I was too ashamed to even look at her anymore. I unfocused my eyes and stared off into the distance, wanting desperately to have her forget what I told her so she wouldn’t upset herself anymore...

Suddenly, I was pulled from my trance to arms wrapping themselves around me. I noticed it was Junko not long after she rested her chin on my shoulder gently. She was hugging me.

“W… what are you-”

“I’m sorry,” she said next to my ear. I was frozen in shock and confusion when she spoke.

“Wha… What?” I had no idea what she could possibly be apologizing for or why. 

“I don’t think we have all that much sugar free stuff, but I can get it for you. Don’t worry…”

Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her in return and smiled slightly as I felt my face contort. I broke down crying in her arms and she tightened her hold on me. She didn’t let go… I cried harder than I had outside of Hope’s Peak or even after I ran from Komaeda - somehow. It was hard to believe mere minutes ago I was afraid to even look at her and then I ended up sobbing in her arms. And I felt comfortable doing so.

A couple seconds after I erupted into tears, I felt Mukuro do her best to hug me from the side without getting in Junko’s way. I only allowed myself to cry because I felt so comfortable. I felt cared for and understood. I didn’t feel like an incurable monster. I felt hurt.

I felt hurt.

Junko and Mukuro didn’t even know me for more than a day and I hadn’t helped them in any way, but they still took me in when I had absolutely nowhere to go and within an hour of knowing me, offered to stock their place with sugar free foods and drinks for me. It was so easy… They didn’t even seem to think about it. They saw me in distress and wanted to help, knowing they wouldn’t be getting anything from it and I didn’t even know them.

‘I knew Ruruka and Sonosuke since I was just a kid… what did I ever do so wrong?’

They treated me like their slave ever since we met. They wouldn’t do anything for me to begin with, but if they did they only would if they got something in return. I bumped into Junko, whom I didn’t know at all, as I was sobbing with nowhere to go and nothing going for me. Right after I told her that, her and Mukuro basically demanded they take me in. I told them about my allergy once - one time! - and they’re already taking it into consideration!

‘Why couldn’t Ruruka do that?’

‘Why couldn’t anyone do that?’

‘What horrible thing did they manage to see in me that Junko and Mukuro couldn’t?’

It didn’t matter anymore… Someone actually cared for me without benefiting from it. I didn’t beg or convince them to care either, they just did. 

“All right, my legs are getting tired,” Junko took a deep breath, pulling away from me at the same time Mukuro did. I was still holding onto her when she slipped from my grasp. I should have been expecting it because I knew Junko wasn’t very good with genuine emotions, especially sad, mopy ones.

She walked away and I smiled again, wiping my tears away with my sleeve. Soon enough, she came back and placed a brand new box of tissues on the table next to me.  
‘Jeez… How much shit does she have in this room?’

“Dry your tears. I don’t like seeing people I’m cool with upset,” she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Normally I would take that as an attack or sign that she was upset with me, but just by the vibe she gave off I could tell she meant it in the nicest way possible. Not to mention, I knew she was on my side. I chuckled a bit, sniffling as I picked up a tissue.

As I dried my tears with the tissue she gave me, she spoke up yet again, “Tired?”

“Uh… Yeah, k… kinda,” I stuttered, blowing my nose, almost immediately breathing better.

“Mukuro!,” Junko called. “Go get her some of your clothes!”

“Why my clothes?,” Mukuro asked, almost offended. I felt guilty.

“Ugh- because yours would fit her better! It’s one night, dumbass! We’ll get her her own stuff tonight!,” she yelled, sounding as angry as she did when I bumped into her hours ago…

“T… That’s okay. You don’t have to worry about getting me anythi-”

“Oh, please,” she interrupted me. “I’m not gonna let you sleep in your soggy clothes. What kind of host would I be if I let you sleep uncomfortably?!”

“W… Well you don’t-”

“Mukuro! It’s getting late,” she demanded yet again.

“O… Okay,” Mukuro mumbled from behind me. I could slightly hear her shuffle out of the door.

“Jeez, isn’t she annoying?,” Junko pointed at the door, obviously annoyed as she looked at me.

I nervously looked back and forth between her and the ground, “I… I don’t think she’s annoying,” I whispered, a little nervous of her yelling again.

She sighed, walking to the back of the room in front of the cupboard, “Whatever… you hungry?”

“Uhm n… no. Not really… Just tired, I guess,” I shrugged, standing up slowly and fixing my skirt. I took one more tissue, wiping my nose with it.

The door opened and I turned to see Mukuro with a basic white shirt that seemed a little big and a simple pair of dark blue shorts. She brought them over to me, almost presenting them in front of my face. I gave an appreciative smile from under my mask, carefully taking them and nodding, “T… Thank you!”

She didn’t have a response. She furrowed her brows almost unnoticeably, which confused me. I awkwardly hunched my shoulders, walking over to the bed.

‘My bag is right where she left it…’

“All right, Kimura, we’ll leave you alone for now,” Junko announced from across the room. I looked up to see her and Mukuro in the doorway, she had her hand on the doorknob. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning, all right?”

“Y… You can call me Seiko!,” I yelled back before she closed the door and nodded.

With the room all to myself, I was finally able to look at it and fully take it in. The lack of company made it feel even more bare…

The walls were a pale white, the fridge was white, the cupboard was white, the bed and sheets were white, but the table and chairs were black. Despite that being the only other color, it didn’t change the feeling of the room. The most basic colors you could think of.

‘I wonder why they never put thought into their rooms…’

There wasn’t much to process or take in about the room as I changed into the clothes Mukuro gave me. The shirt was a little big, but the shorts fit nearly perfect. Even if I did have a problem with the clothes, I would never say that. They were both nice enough to take me in, give me my own room, give me clean clothes to change into, offer to get me sugar-free foods and drinks and listen to me sob about my unsolvable problems.

What could I possibly complain about?

It was a miracle I didn’t actually have to find a bridge to sleep underneath or anything. Before turning the light off and curling up under the covers on the bed, I smiled, knowing this would be the first night in most of my life I could sleep knowing the biggest weight I’ve ever carried had been lifted from my chest.

Because Junko and Mukuro listened to me.

Because they cared.

‘I can’t believe I thought they would kill me. How crazy is that? They’re harmless…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was really long, I'm sorry- But it was really important in progressing Seiko, Junko and Mukuro's relationship! And even though it was really long I hop you liked it haha-

**Author's Note:**

> EEEEEEEEEE- I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU GUYS THINK OF THIS STORY!! My bf and I have been working so hard on it in the past two months and have been waiting for the moment to post it! Please let us know what you think about it! What you liked and didn't like and let us know what you think will happen next. ^^ Also, there's a bit of foreshadowing in the first chapter, so be sure to let me know whenever you think you might be catching on as I post new chapters-


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